- Insurers Say Trump Must Do More to Stabilize Obamacare: AP by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar & Tom Murphy—"Obamacare" is proving more of a challenge than the Trump administration bargained for. With the "repeal and replace" effort at an impasse on Capitol Hill, the administration released on Thursday a set of fixes to stabilize the ACA's shaky insurance markets for next year. But the insurance industry quickly said the changes don't go far enough. While calling the administration action a step in the right direction, the industry is looking for a guarantee that the government will also keep paying billions in "cost-sharing" subsidies that help consumers with high deductibles.
- White House Finalizes ACA Rule to Strengthen Individual Market Modern Healthcare by Virgil Dickson—The White House has finalized a rule that aims to appease insurers looking for some stability in the individual marketplace before they must submit rates for 2018. The rule limits when consumers can gain coverage outside of open enrollment periods, shifts authority to states to determine whether health plans have adequate provider networks, lets insurers potentially pay a lower percentage of consumers' medical costs, and allows insurers to refuse to cover persons who haven't paid their premiums.